Wilson is conducting one of his training sessions with Grace during her 5th pregnancy.

At the age of 67, Wilson Masiga might consider slowing down and enjoying his seven children and forty grandchildren. Instead, Wilson still rides about 10km every day on a bicycle, traversing villages in Busia District, eastern Uganda, carrying the message of good health.

Wilson is one of the Community Health Workers (CHW) in this area. He has served in this role since 2011, after he and others were selected by the local leadership and community members. They were trained by the district health inspector, followed by additional training by World Vision in 2012. “We were trained in malaria control, nutrition and child protection, among others. World Vision has continued to give us refresher training along the way, reminding us that we are the first ‘health centers’ to help our communities,” says Wilson.

Martha became a member of her local Safe Motherhood Action Group after giving birth to eight children without any of the knowledge she now shares with her pregnant neighbors. Her lack of knowledge nearly cost Martha her life during one of her deliveries.

At 34, Martha Nvula has had eight children, the youngest just shy of a year old. She and her husband live nearly 22 miles from a facility that handles baby deliveries, which meant she took great risks each time she got pregnant.

Martha didn’t understand the importance of prenatal care and planning for deliveries, and three times she gave birth along the route to the health facility—once nearly losing her life because of complications.

Martha jumped at the opportunity to join a Safe Motherhood Action Group in her village. She learned about timed and targeted counseling (ttC), which is the developing world’s version of the iconic pregnancy book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting."

After spending close to three hours on a bumpy, wet road, we finally arrived at our destination. It was a rural village with a cluster of 1-room structures made of mud and wood with thatched roofs. The village is in World Vision’s Nkeyema Area Program in west Zambia. Soon after getting out of the muddy 4-wheel van, we were greeted by a spirited young woman named Mary Mulimbika. She passionately shook our hands and welcomed us with a beaming smile.

Nearly half of all child deaths under the age of five occur within the first month of their lives*, despite marked improvement over the past 30 years. That’s about 2.6 million babies a year. More than 7,100 a day.

World Vision is committed to decreasing preventable neonatal and maternal mortality, and our mother and child health initiative is already making real and sustainable impact in Somalia, Uganda, and Zambia. The approach is working for three main reasons: it’s targeted, it’s grass-roots, and it’s integrated. In a nutshell, we focus on educating women, delivering basic health and nutrition information through trusted local health workers, enabling access to essential health services, and improving health facilities.

On World Health Day, we celebrate the progress being made and the donors and partners who make it possible for the work to continue.

More than 200 million women and girls around the world are living with the results of the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation (FGM/C), also known as cutting and female circumcision, according to a report by UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency.

His mother died the day after he was born. He was so small people were afraid to touch him, let alone take him in as one of their own. Most of the people in his Ugandan village thought he would almost certainly die.

Thankfully, Josephine was not afraid. This 47-year-old mother was touched by the tiny, fragile infant and decided to bring him into her home. Her children wanted him too, especially her sons David and Samuel.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.